Hinge and hold-open



s. F. LORIA HINGE AND HOLD-OPEN Aug. 26,, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 31, 1956 d mm ,I/ ATTORNEY Aug. 26, 1958 s. F. LORIA HINGE AND HOLD-OPEN SSheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 31, 1956 INVENTOR' 0. T

" ATTORND Aug. 26, 1958 s. F. LORIA HINGE AND HOLD-OPEN 3 Sheet -Shee't 3 Filed May 31, 1956 W j J y 5 fi a? -w m, n f I 7 M FF Ilkfi I. "H i g. a My w w) v INVENTOR; 652W! fff a fig? 1 TTOR/VF) United States Patent M HINGE AND HOLD-OPEN Samuel F. Loria, Livonia, MiclL, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application May 31, 1956, Serial No. 588,511

8 Claims. (Cl. 16142) This invention relates to a hinge and hold-open, and more particularly to a two-position hinge and hold-open for automobile doors.

One feature of the invention is that it provides an improved hinge and hold-open assembly; another feature of the invention is that it provides a novel two-position unitary hinge and hold-open; a further feature of the invention is that it provides a hinge and hold-open including a toggle linkage for yieldably holding the door in an intermediate open position and a spring detent over which the hinge strap rides when the door swings from intermediate open position to fully open position; an additional feature is that the toggle linkage is mounted on the hinge box on a movable pivot and the toggle linkage moves from closed to extended position when the door is swung from closed to intermediate open position, the pin sliding in the slot when the hinge strap rides over the detent as the door is swung from intermediate open position to fully open position.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a section through a portion of an automobile door and body pillar showing the novel hinge and holdopen with the door closed;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the door in fully open position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the door in intermediate open position;

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the plane 4--4 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away to show underlying structure;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 2 and showing the spring detent;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section through the toggle linkage taken along the line 66 of Fig. 2.

Automobile doors conventionally are provided with yieldable hold-open devices which may or may not be unitary with the hinge. Since the doors are mounted on inclined hinge axes so that the outer edge of the door rises as the door is opened, it is important to provide a hold-open device at the open position to prevent the door from closing by gravity when a passenger is entering or leaving the car. This invention provides a novel two-position hold-open which is unitary with the hinge.

A first hold-open includes a toggle linkage in which the links are extended to provide a yieldable hold-open at an intermediate door open position. A second hold-open includes spring detents on the hinge box, the hinge strap riding over these detents as the door swings from-inter mediate open position to fully open position. The toggle linkage is mounted on a movable pivot comprising a pin and slot connection on the hinge box and as the door swings to fully open position, the toggle linkage moves along the slot.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, an automobile front door 10 has a reinforced inner panel 12 to which is secured by bolts 14 a gooseneck type hinge git-48,73 5 Patented Aug. 26, 1953 ICC strap 16 which extends past the jamb edge of the door into a body hinge pillar 18.

A U-shaped hinge box 2%, which may be regarded as the fixed hinge strap, is secured to the body pillar by bolts 22. The inner end of the gooseneck hinge strap 16 is pivotally mounted between the walls of the hinge box on a pin 24 so that the door 10 may swing between the closed position of Fig. 1 and the fully open position of Fig. 2. Stop means for limiting swinging movement of the door and defining the fully open position thereof comprise lugs 26 bent from the respective opposite Walls of the hinge box and adapted to be engaged by the strap 16 at or just beyond the position shown in Fig. 2.

An extension 28 projects from the stem portion of the gooseneck hinge strap, being secured thereon by a screw 30. This extension substantially covers the opening in the body pillar through which the hinge strap extends when the door is open as shown in Fig. 2, and the extension provides one abutment for a first hold-open device comprising a spring urged toggle linkage counterbalance, the other abutment of which is the hinge box 20. This toggle linkage includes two links 32 and 34 of sheet metal channel form, the base of the channels constituting the outer faces of the links as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6. Link 34 carries a pin 36 Which extends through a curved slot 38 in each wall of the hinge box 20, opposite ends of the pin being headed at 36a to hold the pin in the slot. Link 32 is pivoted on the extension 28 by means of a pin 40. The links 32, 34 are pivoted on each other by a tubular pin 42, the ends of which are flared for retention. A coil spring 44 on the pin 42 has opposite ends 44a and 44b which project outwardly from pin 42 and respectively engage the links 32 and 34 for biasing the toggle to the extended position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The limit of extension of the toggle linkage is defined by abutments 46 at the adjacent ends of the base portion of the links 32, 34. As shown in Fig. 1, the pin 36 is slightly to the left of the plane containing the axes of pins 24 and 40 when the door is closed so that spring 44 exerts a slight closing force on the door for the first degrees of opening movement of the door. As the door opens further, an opening force is exerted which increases as the force advantage of spring 44 increases. This force may be such, by proper choice of pivot pin locations and spring strength based upon the weight and binge axis orientation of the particular door, as approximately to balance the door during a portion of the opening movement and then to considerably overbalance the door when the toggle links are extended as shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

As the door is swung from the closed position of Fig. 1 toward the intermediate open position of Fig. 3, pin 40 swings through an are extending downwardly and to the right in Figs. 1 and 3 to extend the toggle links. When the links reach the extended position of Fig. 3, they exert a yieldable hold-open force in the conventional manner of such linkage. A similar toggle linkage arrangement is shown and described in the application of William F. Kapanka and Barthold F. Meyer, entitled Door Hinge, Check, and Hold-Open filed November 30, 1953, as Serial No. 394,936, new Patent No. 2,775,783 dated January 1, 1957 and assigned to the assignee of this application.

As shown in Fig. 3, the toggle links reach their extended position when the door is only in an intermediate open position and a second hold-open device is'provided to hold the door in the fully open position of Fig. 2. This second hold-open device comprises a pair of spring detents 50, one being mounted on each opposite wall of the hinge box as shown best in Figs. 4 and 5. Each detent is U-shaped in transverse section, the base of the U extending through an opening 52 in the hinge box wall and one arm of the U being secured by rivets 54 to "the outside of the hinge box wall. The other arm of the Uv which lies inside the hinge box wall terminates in a dc;

pressed portion 56 (see Fig. '5) forming a'yieldable hold;

open detent for the hinge strap 16;

fAs the doo is swung from the intermediate opennesi t io'nof'Fig. 3"tothe fully open position 'of Fig.' 2", tl i'e hinge strap 16 rides'over the sprin'g'dete'nt's 50, seatingiin strap with the stop lugs 26 ,which define the fully open position of the door. During this movement from inter mediate open position to fully open position, the pin 36 f which supports one end of the toggl'e linkage on the hinge 1 box rides down the curved slot 38 fromthe 'positiono'f the. recesses, 56 just 'prior to engagement of the hinge Figsfl and3fto'thepo'sition of Fig. 2. This results in atwo-stage'hold-openl The door may be swung to the intermediate position of Fig. 2 to provide a relatively small access opening into the automobile, or, if desired, the'door may be swung to the fully open position of Fig;

3. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 2,

"wherein; wne'ntheto'ggleis eio'se'd,"the pivot between the second toggle link and the second strap is located closely adjacent a plane containing the pivotal axis of the connec- 'tion between the first link and the first strap and the pivotal axis of the connection between said straps.

4. Apparatus of the characterclaimed in claim 2,

wherein said fiISiQ SH'aP iS Y L-shaped, having'a base which is pivotally connected to said second strap and a stern which is corinected tq said closure, the pivotal connection btween' s'aid'first strap and the fir's't link being closely adjacent the bend in said strap.

PPar4tu *t-hex h ra sr; l m in im 2, wherein said first strap is bent in the form of an L, having a base pivotally connected tosaid second strap and a stem connected to said closure, and wherein said first strap has an extension projecting from said stem, the

' pivotal connection between said; first strap and first link 2ito provide a larger access opening. When the door is swungiclosed from the fully open position,the inertia of the moving door is sufficient to break the toggle when the pin 3'6 strikesthe upper end of the slot 38 so that the. door may be closed through a single efiort despite the.

use of the two-stage hold-open. While. I have shown-and describedone embodiment of my invention, it is capable of many modificationsJ Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made'without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set fo'rthinthe a'ppended claims.

1' la t 1". Atwo-position'hinge andhold-open assemblyfor' body and closure members, comprising in combination, a first hinge strap connected to the closure member, a sec ond hinge strapiconnected to the body member, means pivotally connectingsaid' straps together to permit swingingsaid closure between open and closed positions, a

first hold fopen comprising 'a togglelinkag'e including first and secon'd linkgpivot means connecting the links to gether, meanspivotally' connecting said first link to said first strap "and pin and slot means pivotally and bodily movably connecting thes'econd link to thesecond' strap, 7

the toggle links being extended when the closure is man intermediate 'openposition' and being closed when the closure" is swung to closed position, and thepin-sliding in the slot to move the togglelinks bodily with reference to said second strapwhen the closure swings from interme-, diate open position to fully open position, and a second hold-open comprising detent'means on the second hinge strap over which said first'hinge strap rides when the closure is swung from intermediate open position to'fully open position; v

2. A two-position hinge and hold-open assembly'for body and closure members, comprising in combination, a

first hinge strap connected to the closure member, a second hinge strap connected to the body member, means pivotally'connecting said straps together to permit swingingsaidclosure between open' and closed positions, stop means'for limiting movement of said closure andfor' defining the fully open position thereof, a first hold-open comprising a toggle linkage including first and's'cco'nd,

being onlsaidextension,

6. A two-position hinge and hold-open assembly for body and closure members, comprising in combination, a first hinge' str ap connected to. the closure member, a

second hinge srrep connected to the body member, means pivotally connecting-said straps together topermit swinging saidclosure between openand closed positions, a first hold-open comprising a togglejliinkage including first and second links, pivotmeans connecting the links and a "sprin mounted on pivot means and reacting against tobias'the linkage toward an extended position, meni ivotan connecting said first link to said first s tr ap at; a poifit betweenthe connection of the first strap to the closuremernber and the meanspivotaliy con-v 'necti nig j saidstrapstogethen;pin and-slot means pivotally arid; bodily moyably connecting the second link to the second strapxthe .togglel links beingextended when the closure is in an intermediate open position and being closed against the force of said springwhen the closure is swung to gc-los ed position, and the pinsliding in the slot to move the toggle links bodily with reference to said second strapwhen the closure swingstrom intermediate open posit n. to fullyopen position, and asecond hold-open comprising detent means on onestrap over which the other. strap rides when the closureiszswung from intermediate open "position minty open position.

tWPePQSiiliQil hinge, and hold-open assembly for body and closure members, comprising iii-combination, a first hinge strap-connectedto the closure member, a secondhin'gestrap connected'to. the body member, means links, pivot means' connecting the links, means pivotally.

connecting said. first link to said first strap and pin and.

slot means pivotally and bodily movably connecting the second link to the second strap, the toggle links being extendedwhen the closure is in an intermediate open position-and being'closed when the closure isi'swung to close'dposition, and the pin sliding in the slot'to move thetoggle links bodily with reference to said second strap when the closure swings from intermediateopen position to fully open position,'and a secondhold-o'pen" com:

prisinga spring detenti on the second-strapoyerwhich pivbtallyi'connecting said straps together. to permit swinging said closnr between open and closed positions, stop means onone strap forabutment by the other strap to limit opening movementof said-closure and to, define connecting-thectherend; of the second link to the second strap, the axisr of said lastmentioned pivotal connection being: spaced from the connection between the second strap; a'ndrthe body m'ember and spaced from the means w pivotally connecting said straps -together; the toggle links beingextended when theclosure is man intermediate,

open positionf'and'being'closed against the force of said spr ing "when'-the closure is swung to' closed position, and the pin sliding in the slot when the closure swings irom 'int'ermdiate e en' esnien to fully "open position, and a said first hinge strap rides When 'the"closure is swung from intermediate open position to fully 'opeII positionf w second holdbpencomprising a spring detent on-thesecond -sttap so'locatd thabthe first strap rides over said detent when the closure is swung from intermediate open position to fully open position.

8. A two-position hinge and hold-open assembly for body and closure members, comprising in combination, a first hinge strap connected to the closure member, a second hinge strap connected to the body member, means pivotally connecting said straps together to permit swinging said closure between open and closed positions, stop means on one strap for abutment by the other strap in the fully open position to limit opening movement of said closure and to define the fully open position thereof, a first hold-open comprising a toggle linkage including first and second links, pivot means connecting the links together at one end and a spring mounted on said pivot means and reacting against both links to bias the linkage toward an extended position, means pivotally connecting the other end of said first link to said strap at a point on the first strap located between the connection of the first strap to the closure member and the means pivotally connecting said straps together, a slot formed in the second strap at a location spaced from the pivotal connection of the first and second straps, a pin connecting the other end of said second link to said second strap in said slot, the toggle links being folded with said pin being located at one end of said slot when the closure member is in closed position and the toggle links being extended when the closure member is in an intermediate open position, and the pin sliding in the slot to the other end thereof when the closure swings from intermediate open position to fully open position, and a second holdopen comprising a spring detent on the second strap so located that the first strap rides over the detent when the closure reaches fully open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 103,795 Struck May 31, 1870 2,259,821 Johnson Oct. 21, 1941 2,335,201 Ulrich Nov. 23, 1943 2,342,531 Dean Feb. 22, 1944 2,645,810 Galla July 21, 1953 2,761,171 Johnson Sept. 4, 1956 

